Comments on: Test score gains, considered http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/ Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:15:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: a parent http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7302 a parent Fri, 15 May 2009 13:21:32 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7302 My child goes to Lower Lab, which had some of the highest scores in the City on the ELA. While these high scores can certainly be attributed partly to the highly selected gifted population and to the high quality of teaching at the school, a large part is certainly due to the massive amount of test prep to which our children have been subjected. It is a huge waste of the teachers' talents and a major drain on our 7- to 11-year-olds time! My child's teacher, arguably one of the most talented at one of the best elementary schools in the City, told parents straight out that test prep for the ELA does not involve teaching excellent writing skills; it's all about answering the question to the letter in a very basic, straightforward way. Advanced analysis is not welcome and can result in downgrading. As a past test grader, she said she had read many test answers that clearly showed a child to be a very talented writer, but which didn't follow the "formula" required by the test and therefore received low scores. After the math test, my child said to me, "Now we can go back to having regular math homework." I realized that during the weeks of test prep, virtually all the math they were assigned consisted of practice questions and tests in the test prep book. In addition, no one has mentioned how after weeks of class time wasted preparing for these tests both in the classroom and at home, teachers are then out of class for several days to grade the tests. We all know that little learning goes on when the classroom has a substitute teacher. This is a bogus reason to have them. The DOE should absolutely go back to the days where grading happens on weekends and teachers can volunteer for the extra pay. Taking them out of class adds insult to injury for our children! Finally, it is unfortunate that tests that were designed to assess schools' success at bringing students to grade level in basic subjects have been turned into admissions instruments for middle school -- a purpose for which they were never intended. It is for this reason that test prep is so overdone not only in schools struggling to pull their students up to grade level but also in schools where achievement is already high. My child goes to Lower Lab, which had some of the highest scores in the City on the ELA. While these high scores can certainly be attributed partly to the highly selected gifted population and to the high quality of teaching at the school, a large part is certainly due to the massive amount of test prep to which our children have been subjected. It is a huge waste of the teachers’ talents and a major drain on our 7- to 11-year-olds time! My child’s teacher, arguably one of the most talented at one of the best elementary schools in the City, told parents straight out that test prep for the ELA does not involve teaching excellent writing skills; it’s all about answering the question to the letter in a very basic, straightforward way. Advanced analysis is not welcome and can result in downgrading. As a past test grader, she said she had read many test answers that clearly showed a child to be a very talented writer, but which didn’t follow the “formula” required by the test and therefore received low scores.

After the math test, my child said to me, “Now we can go back to having regular math homework.” I realized that during the weeks of test prep, virtually all the math they were assigned consisted of practice questions and tests in the test prep book.

In addition, no one has mentioned how after weeks of class time wasted preparing for these tests both in the classroom and at home, teachers are then out of class for several days to grade the tests. We all know that little learning goes on when the classroom has a substitute teacher. This is a bogus reason to have them. The DOE should absolutely go back to the days where grading happens on weekends and teachers can volunteer for the extra pay. Taking them out of class adds insult to injury for our children!

Finally, it is unfortunate that tests that were designed to assess schools’ success at bringing students to grade level in basic subjects have been turned into admissions instruments for middle school — a purpose for which they were never intended. It is for this reason that test prep is so overdone not only in schools struggling to pull their students up to grade level but also in schools where achievement is already high.

]]> By: proud parent http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7294 proud parent Thu, 14 May 2009 18:34:41 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7294 a long as learning is going on i am all for it parents need to take charge and stop thinking teaching and learning only happens in school a long as learning is going on i am all for it parents need to take charge and stop thinking teaching and learning only happens in school

]]> By: joe http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7293 joe Thu, 14 May 2009 16:42:56 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7293 My child's teacher stated at curriculum night that they would not be teaching social studies as they needed to devote more time to test prep. My child’s teacher stated at curriculum night that they would not be teaching social studies as they needed to devote more time to test prep.

]]> By: parent http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7280 parent Wed, 13 May 2009 21:34:04 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7280 Now that my child is starting to think about high school, I have found a big problem with teaching to the test. Teaching to the math test, as mentioned in comment one, is probably a good thing, because this is the material the kids need to know for later courses. The problem comes with the ELA test. The city bases its test largely on comprehension and listening skills. If your kid is not a good listener, gets distracted for a moment, or can't take notes fast he is doomed on this portion. We have been looking into the TACHs test for catholic high schools and their ELA is totally different. It is mostly spelling, vocabulary, definitions and lots of grammar. All subjects that my son has spent very little time learning during his last 7 years in school because they are not the focus of the state test. It is obvious we are not giving our children a very well rounded education. Now that my child is starting to think about high school, I have found a big problem with teaching to the test. Teaching to the math test, as mentioned in comment one, is probably a good thing, because this is the material the kids need to know for later courses. The problem comes with the ELA test. The city bases its test largely on comprehension and listening skills. If your kid is not a good listener, gets distracted for a moment, or can’t take notes fast he is doomed on this portion. We have been looking into the TACHs test for catholic high schools and their ELA is totally different. It is mostly spelling, vocabulary, definitions and lots of grammar. All subjects that my son has spent very little time learning during his last 7 years in school because they are not the focus of the state test. It is obvious we are not giving our children a very well rounded education.

]]> By: Bronx mom http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7276 Bronx mom Wed, 13 May 2009 19:27:33 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7276 There is a difference between test prep and teaching to the test. Teaching to a test prevents children from fully developing their cognitive skills. It also leads to boredom, burnout and disengagement from academic studies (which I have seen in many, many students in the past 5 years or so). I have also met middle school students who identify themselves as being a number, e.g. "I'm a 3 in math." Is this the legacy we want to give our youth, that a number from 1-4 can identify who you are?? There is a difference between test prep and teaching to the test. Teaching to a test prevents children from fully developing their cognitive skills. It also leads to boredom, burnout and disengagement from academic studies (which I have seen in many, many students in the past 5 years or so). I have also met middle school students who identify themselves as being a number, e.g. “I’m a 3 in math.” Is this the legacy we want to give our youth, that a number from 1-4 can identify who you are??

]]> By: Me2004 http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7274 Me2004 Wed, 13 May 2009 19:23:06 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7274 My son's 6th grade class WAS being taught to the test. I say WAS because now that the state tests are over, there is a laziness from the teacher who was quite overbearing before the test. These days, homework is 45 minutes instead of the 2 hours prior to teaching. My son’s 6th grade class WAS being taught to the test. I say WAS because now that the state tests are over, there is a laziness from the teacher who was quite overbearing before the test. These days, homework is 45 minutes instead of the 2 hours prior to teaching.

]]> By: Jason http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7269 Jason Wed, 13 May 2009 17:40:01 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/05/13/test-score-gains-considered/#comment-7269 Teaching for the best should not be viewed as inherently bad. I actually think it's a great idea-- provided that the test is a comprehensive representation of the information we expect students to have after leaving that course/grade. This is New York-- teaching to the test is precisely what our entire high school curriculum is based on for years. Sure, I was drilled on certain math topics to get a near perfect score on both Math A and Math B, but I was easily prepared for calculus and success in high level courses in college because what I learned matched the expectation of the course. Let's not forget that if it were not a "standardized" test, most classrooms these days would still be using an exam, and therefore, even free from the "burden" of a standardized exam, these classrooms would still be teaching to <b>a</b> test, it would just be <b>their</b> test and not the state's. Teaching for the best should not be viewed as inherently bad. I actually think it’s a great idea– provided that the test is a comprehensive representation of the information we expect students to have after leaving that course/grade.

This is New York– teaching to the test is precisely what our entire high school curriculum is based on for years. Sure, I was drilled on certain math topics to get a near perfect score on both Math A and Math B, but I was easily prepared for calculus and success in high level courses in college because what I learned matched the expectation of the course.

Let’s not forget that if it were not a “standardized” test, most classrooms these days would still be using an exam, and therefore, even free from the “burden” of a standardized exam, these classrooms would still be teaching to a test, it would just be their test and not the state’s.

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